Eswatini vs Kuwait
Kuwait and Eswatini are almost exactly the same size.
EswatiniKuwaitEswatini moved onto Kuwait · Equal-area projection
0.97×
Eswatini is 0.97× the area of Kuwait. Put the other way, Kuwait is 1.03× the size of Eswatini.
 Eswatini |  Kuwait | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 17,364 km²#154 of 194 | 17,818 km²#153 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationKuwait: 3.87× the population | 1,256,174#155 of 194 · 2025 | 4,865,298#126 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityKuwait: 3.77× the density | 72 / km²#113 of 194 | 273 / km²#32 of 194 |
| Urban populationKuwait: 3.75× the urban share | 27%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 100%#1 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateEswatini: 1.74× the births per woman | 2.72 per woman#60 of 192 · 2024 | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthEswatini: 1.72 points higher | +1.07%#93 of 192 · 2025 | −0.65%#184 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateEswatini: 2.36× the birth rate | 23.6 per 1,000#56 of 192 · 2024 | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateEswatini: 5.13× the death rate | 7.7 per 1,000#79 of 192 · 2024 | 1.5 per 1,000#190 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Eswatini: 15.0 points higher | 33.0%#57 of 192 · 2025 | 18.0%#128 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Eswatini: 1.1 points higher | 4.3%#137 of 192 · 2025 | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationKuwait: 13.4 per 1,000 higher | −4.6 per 1,000#172 of 192 · 2025 | +8.8 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadKuwait: 3.83× the refugees for its size | 0.18 per 1,000#106 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyKuwait: 20.3 years longer | 64.3 years#167 of 192 · 2024 | 84.6 years#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityEswatini: 6.03× the infant mortality | 42.2 per 1,000 births#24 of 191 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsKuwait: 4.05× the doctors per person | 0.56 per 1,000#122 of 178 · 2023 | 2.27 per 1,000#79 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolment | — | 51.9%#74 of 145 · 2021 |
| Human Development IndexKuwait: 0.157 higher | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 | 0.852#51 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaKuwait: 11× the income per person | $3,730#129 of 185 · 2025 | $41,110#27 of 185 · 2024 |
| GDPKuwait: 30.5× the economy | $5.16B2025 | $157.21B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Kuwait: 4.51× the output per person | $12,529#119 of 184 · 2025 | $56,468#37 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthEswatini: 1.5 points higher | +4.2%#65 of 187 · 2025 | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentEswatini: 15.5× the unemployment | 34.2%#1 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2%#158 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 44.5%#14 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 54.6#3 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureEswatini: 12.6 points higher | 14.5% of jobs#93 of 178 · 2025 | 1.9% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryEswatini: 2.1 points higher | 26.7% of jobs#29 of 178 · 2025 | 24.6% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesKuwait: 14.8 points higher | 58.7% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 73.5% of jobs#36 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentEswatini: 0.7 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsKuwait: 2.0 points higher | 53.8% of GDP#43 of 168 · 2024 | 55.8% of GDP#35 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingKuwait: 2.93× the military spending | 1.6% of GDP#83 of 155 · 2025 | 4.7% of GDP#11 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersKuwait: 1.58× the share online | 63%#131 of 184 · 2024 | 100%#1 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsKuwait: 1.2× the mobile subscriptions | 140 per 100#36 of 191 · 2024 | 168 per 100#16 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaEswatini: 63.3× the forest share | 25% of land#108 of 192 · 2024 | 0% of land#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personKuwait: 26.9× the CO₂ per person | 0.88 t a year#132 of 185 · 2024 | 23.7 t a year#4 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyEswatini: 64.6 points higher | 64.7%#32 of 190 · 2022 | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityKuwait: 10.7 points higher | 89.3%#139 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Kuwait: 3.73× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 62.3 µg/m³#6 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landKuwait: 12.9 points higher | 4.2% of land#169 of 191 · 2025 | 17.1% of land#98 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landEswatini: 9.9 points higher | 10.3% of land#99 of 190 · 2024 | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressKuwait: 49.6× the water stress | 77.6%#23 of 176 · 2022 | 3,850.5%#1 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationEswatini: 6.51× the rain and snow | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 | 121 mm#171 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityKuwait: 0.99 higher | −0.57#147 of 193 · 2025 | +0.42#75 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionKuwait: 1.08 higher | −0.80#144 of 193 · 2025 | +0.28#69 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateEswatini: 62.5× the homicide rate | 12.5 per 100,000#23 of 146 · 2021 | 0.2 per 100,000#141 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Absolute monarchy | Constitutional monarchyconstitutional monarchy (emirate) |
| Member of | — | OPEC |
| Capital | Mbabane | Kuwait City |
| Currency | Lilangeni (SZL) | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) |
| Official languages | English, Swazi | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +268 | +965 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Western Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Eswatini sits at about 27° S and is stretched to 1.25× its true area; Kuwait at 29° N is stretched to 1.32×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Eswatini bigger than Kuwait?
- No. Eswatini and Kuwait are almost exactly the same size. Eswatini covers 17,364 km² and Kuwait covers 17,818 km².
- How many times does Eswatini fit into Kuwait?
- About 1.0 times: Kuwait has 1.03× the area of Eswatini.
- Why do Eswatini and Kuwait look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Eswatini is drawn about 1.25× its true area there and Kuwait about 1.32×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Eswatini or Kuwait?
- Kuwait: 4,865,298 people against 1,256,174. Density: Eswatini 72 per km², Kuwait 273 per km².
- Which is richer, Eswatini or Kuwait?
- By gross national income per person, Kuwait: $41,110 against $3,730 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 11× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Eswatini or Kuwait?
- In Kuwait: life expectancy at birth is 84.6 years, against 64.3 — 20.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Eswatini and Kuwait have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Eswatini: absolute monarchy; Kuwait: constitutional monarchy.